@rv1974
Canceling didn't equate to refund of amount paid, nor did I expect it to. Only to prevent renewal, which ultimately, it did.

@Rich-O-Brien
Love the Dude icon, Rich. Probably my all time favorite movie.

As I've noted in my update, they ended up doing the right thing.

@Bob_CP
UPDATE: The Simlab Soft rep finally discovered and confirmed that I'd canceled my subscription last year, as I'd tried to tell her. They have refunded my sub cost. I'm happy to report that they did the right thing.

Last year, I purchased the Simlab Soft IFC importer plugin. It was an annual subscription purchase. Another reason to dislike software as subscription. It didn't seem to work in the manner I wanted, so a month or two later, I cancelled the subscription.

I find just the other day that they billed me for the annual subscription fee, so I requested a cancellation of the software (for the 2nd time now) and to refund my money.

I receive an email that they cannot / will not refund my money for the cancelled subscription. I sent them a screen shot of the cancellation confirmation, but still, they won't refund my money.

I have disputed the transaction with my bank, so I'm sure it will be resolved as I need.

But, obviously, Simlab is a disreputable company. I would advise staying away from any of their plugins.

Writing script is way above my paygrade, as was your explanation.

Thanks for trying to help. I'm just a bit thicker than that.

@pcmoor said:

Copying groups with attributes creates groups that are connected, you would need to make them unique via a script

[attachment=0:2tp8ykp5]<!-- ia0 -->Capture.JPG<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:2tp8ykp5]

It may be best to make components, then right click make unique, you could experiment with reset scale or scale definition, which ever is best suited for the situation.

Hello, All

I hope everyone is surviving if not thriving as best as possible.

To my issue with component attributes

I often make positioning components, like datum points, to help with laying out a project's several structures across a couple of files. I find it helps to maintain a consistent layout so that copy / paste in place works as expected. I will apply xyz component attributes to these layout objects (not Layout app, but objects I use for laying things out in Sketchup), usually locking the x and y axis but allowing movement in z.

If I create several of these, then group them, they no longer maintain their "lock down" in the xy axis. Explode the group, and the individual components also no longer maintain their absolute xy positioning. In "Component Attributes" dialog, they still show up as if their locked in xy, but they don't behave that way. It's very difficult to "lock them up" again. Usually involving recreating the components (and one must purge the component from the model, too, first).

This seems like an out and out bug to me.

Anyone else ever have this happen?

Stay safe!

Bob

I watched that video. For some reason, bolts weren't giving me the problems that I was having with that hanger.

@pilou said:

This ?

Good info here, pbacot. I'll keep at it.

By the way, the official Simpson hardware is so large, file wise, they really bloat a file. They look cool, for sure.

THanks!

Bob

@pbacot said:

Try drawing a rectangle directly on a face inside the beam component, immediately create a component of the rectangle face and edges and set it glue to "any" (it should already be set) set it to cut opening or not as desired. You can then cut the component and paste-in-place outside the beam component. Of course then you can create the hanger or whatever you want within the rectangle component. It will also glue to new surfaces as you import it into the model from the component browser, or use copy and paste from an existing instance.

You can also go to Simpson Strong-Tie in the 3d Warehouse, download a hanger, paste that into your glue-to rectangle component, and re-orient to the axes.

It is also very simple to create the glue-to hanger on the ground plane in a similar method. the hanger would lie flat on it's "back" on the ground plane, but will then be usable to insert from the component browser on any face in the model(s).

Components don't glue to a specific place, but to a specific plane defined by a face.

A gluing component will have the the blue axis look like an "X" in the same plane as the red and green, instead of a line. Where you have a specific orientation and placement point desired--that's where the intersection of the component axes should be.

You can also create a joist/ hanger combined component to place at once. If you are doing materials list that component should contain separate components inside for the board and hanger. Either combined or not, of course, for any run you make one set and move/copy-duplicate along the beam at the correct spacing.

"model in place then move to the ground plane" - that just doesn't make a lot of sense, but hey, if it's what works!

Thanks, Box.

Bob

@box said:

The simplest way to look at it is you need to follow the world axes to get your shape to sit the way you want. Easiest way to achieve this is to line it up with the axes and set the component axis to match. Note that the point you select to create the axis will be the insertion point for the component, so Choose wisely.
I modeled this in place then moved it to the ground plane to make it a component.
See how I have clicked to set the red and green to follow the world red and green.

Not quite a comprehensive guide, but helpful.

Thanks!

@pilou said:

This ?

Aha! I was trying that on a grouped face. Will give that a try.

Thanks, Dave, as always!

Bob

@dave r said:

ungroupd face

[attachment=0:24aer1fp]<!-- ia0 -->Screenshot - 12_1_2019 , 4_31_42 PM.png<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:24aer1fp]

Is there a comprehensive guide to creating components that glue to a specific place in a specific orientation? I have lost, I don't know, 50 hours trying to get some understanding of creating components with gluing planes and I just cannot sort it out.

I had thought I'd read somewhere that SU is smart enough to do this on its own if you create the component in the orientation desired, but that is definitely not the case.

In the image at the link (I also can't figure out how to get correct size and pixels here), I am trying to create this joist hanger such that it glues as oriented at the point indicated. I've been screwing with this for 2 hours now and I'm no closer than when I started.

Does anyone out there understand gluing planes? I bet there is!

Thanks

Bob

Screenshot 2019-12-01 07.57.33.png

Shared with Dropbox

Dropbox (www.dropbox.com)

Yea, all my models use ridiculous textures. I use shaded at times, but the file sizes are pretty large.

@jql said:

I also use Save As/Reload and it's also much faster for me, but also less troublesome as it requires a single right-click reload.

Also I can keep working with colleagues on separate parts of projects and sync within computers with sync/backup software.

You might have something there that gets particularly slow. Do you have high definition textures?

EDIT: Edit in place is a great tip. I used another one that doesn't work on 2019 anymore, but the function was the same. Thanks!

Actually, I remember trying that before. i gotta give it a go again.

Thanks!

@db11 said:

You could try the 'EditinPlace' plugin. I've been using it for a couple of years and it works well, even in 19.2 (it's an older plugin, but so far no apparent compatibility issues.

With a context click 'Edit in Place:Open' it opens a new SU instance with the component you want to edit. Once you're done you save, return to the main model, right click and choose 'Edit in Place: Update'. I've never noticed any delay / slowness in updating — it's pretty much instantaneous.

Maybe worth a try. You can find it here: http://suplugins.com/edit.php

Thanks pbacot.

The last reload operation I did was 7 minute 17 seconds! It was bringing changes on a 50 MB file. I like the concept, if only to were fast enough to use. Or, even if I could work on an different open model, but the whole SU program is lost until the reload is complete.

Hi All

I was hoping one of the sages could let me know their thoughts:

I build my models across a number of partial constituent models, following Nick's workflow. (I'm sure others developed a similar method on their own, but I became aware of the concept through his book with Matt.) Many times I find myself saving out smaller and smaller subsets of model, so that working on them is quick and easy, then re-incorporating them into the consolidated models. I do a copy / paste in place operation to keep everything where it should be.

As you may suspect, I sometimes get a little confused as to which model has the most recent iteration of any particular aspect. Maybe that's just me.

I've been giving some thought to and testing importing the constituent models into a consolidated file as maybe a better workflow with less tendency to to forget where the latest iteration of an object is. We'll see.

But I find that reloading models via right-click > reload to be very slow, as in several minutes. Vs paste in place with is very quick.

And advice or comments on the relative pros and cons of each method would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Bob

@Fredo6

That worked perfectly, it now exports and saves the mp4 and mov files.

Thanks

Bob

I shall, give the a try, Fredo. Thanks

Bob

@fredo6 said:

Bob,

In fact, the end result is just to copy the ffmpeg.exe file to your local drive. As you said, this is a command line program, and I use it as such from Animator.

I don't have a Mac, so I cannot test it, but normally, if you follow the procedure and links of my new PDF instruction, you will download a ZIP file: ffmpeg-20181102-66425ad-macos64-static.zip.

From this zip file, you need to extract the ffmpeg file, which is in the subfolder /bin of the zip file, and put it on your local drive, ideally in the folder ~/Applications, so that i can be accessed regardless of the Sketchup version.

Fredo

I tried this but the download is an "exec" file, which I have no idea what to do with

now a redirection to the Zeranoe web site for the Mac. I tested that it is not hacked.

[attachment=0:1am8zrdw]<!-- ia0 -->Instructions_ffmpeg_Mac.pdf<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:1am8zrdw]

Fredo[/quote]

Hello Rich

Safari on my Mac. I don't have any anti-virus installed - never thought it necessary on a Mac. Maybe I need to rethink that.

It was a link in the PDF file that got hijacked to the malware site. Sneaky bastards!

@rich o brien said:

Hi Bob,

What internet browser are you using? What anti-virus or malware protection do you run?

The 'How to get FFMEPG' button opens a locally stored PDF file that is part of the Animator extension.

I would install malwarebytes and run a scan.